Cook Islands - Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme

Cook Islands
CIMAVA
This group grew out of a Male Advocacy Training organised by PTI in November 2005.
Thirteen men from Rarotonga and the outer islands participated in the training programme
and two had since been to Fiji for further training. They have strong associations with local
churches and include Police Officers. The aim of the programme was to help participants
develop skills to work with men in ending violence against women and children.
The members signed an agreement which acknowledged that rape, domestic violence and
child abuse are crimes and violations of human rights, which stem from the unequal status of
men and women. They agreed to work in partnership with PTI and similar groups to eliminate
gender-based violence. PTI referred men to this group, as they were more likely to open up to
other men than to female counsellors. CIMAVA worked with the church and used the media
to encourage men to deal with violence through the group. Group leaders were trying to
promote the group to have its own management and structure, along the lines of PTI. At the
time of my visit, they had held four workshops on Rarotonga and two on the outer islands.
They felt that the outer islands were missing out on gender awareness training due to lack of
funding.
Te Pa Tau’nga
Te Pa Tau’nga is a mental health NGO, funded by the Richmond Fellowship. It has reciprocal
referrals with PTI. The organisations share the common goals of empowering women to make
good decisions. Te Pa Tau’nga works on a preventive, strength-based model which aims to:
• support women’s decision making;
• support children; and
• promote confidence within the community.
Discussion
NGOs provide vital services in the Cook Islands. They support and supplement the work of
legal and government agencies and are proactive in community development and
implementing international conventions. They are under-resourced, financially and in terms of
personnel. They tend to be operated by a small group of dedicated volunteers, who are often
members of a number of committees and boards. Demands on NGOs, and PTI in particular,
can only be expected to increase as awareness of domestic violence increases. Priority areas
for capacity building include:
• provision of adequate financial/material resources;
• adequate staff;
• staff training and supervision, with thought given to the problem of burn-out;
• finding qualified counsellors who will uphold client confidentiality; and
• consultation between funding bodies and local groups, to ensure that resources are
directed towards projects that are priorities for local stakeholders.
A general assessment of levels of social acceptance and cultural tolerance towards
domestic violence
As noted, there has traditionally been a high level of social acceptance and cultural tolerance
of domestic violence. In part this is associated with hierarchical gender systems, which
provided few, if any, sanctions for male violence. Domestic violence is also associated with a
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